🌱 Summer Drought Outlook + Interactive Plaza Art + V-Day Events

Well hello there, Healdsburg! Missed you yesterday. I'm back today with everything you need to know about what's been happening in town lately and what's coming up this weekend. Keep reading for the skinny.

Oh, and I hope you'll join me in sending some birthday love to my mother, Healdsburg's inimitable Holly Wilson — aka, the mountain goddess who takes your "Air over Healdsburg" photos for this newsletter. Love you a dumb amount, mom! 🥳

First, your weekend weather:

• Friday: Sunny and crazy warm. High: 77 Low: 43.
• Saturday: More sunshine. High: 76 Low: 43.
• Sunday: Sun and some high clouds. High: 75 Low: 45.
• Monday: Cooling down, with partial sunshine. High: 64 Low: 37.

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Air over Healdsburg:

Here are the top 5 stories today in Healdsburg:

1. Drought predictions for the coming summer in Healdsburg are looking rather grim. Jeff Kay, our city manager, gave an update on current water supply levels at Monday's Healdsburg City Council meeting. "We're looking at nothing but dry weather in the forecast," he said. "We're looking at setting potentially heat records in the county this week, with highs approaching 80 — so it makes for lovely weather, but it's concerning when it comes to the water supply." The water line at Healdsburg's main reservoir, Lake Mendocino, is at 62 percent of the target for this time of year. "We're not trending in the right direction, and if we were to not get significant more water, that's a really big cause for concern," Kay said. However: The reservoir IS a bit more full than it was in February 2021 and 2014, our other really bad drought years, so we still have a chance of avoiding a worst-ever situation. In any case, though, "conservation requirements are looking increasingly likely for the upcoming summer," the city says. Officials across the county are raising the alarm early this year, telling residents to "please continue to be water smart and conserve." (Facebook & Facebook)
2. So given this grim summer outlook, what is the City of Healdsburg doing to prepare? In the months since our famously vigilant 50 percent-plus conservation levels last summer, residential water savings are down to a 10 percent improvement year over year, so the city plans to ramp up outreach soon to encourage residents to tighten up their usage again. The free recycled water delivery program likely won't be a thing, or at least not a free thing, because city officials say it was unsustainably expensive. Also: In an email to a group of residents, Terry Crowley, the city's utilities director, said grant requests to state and federal officials are also pending for the following project proposals: building "aquifer storage and recovery wells" for $8.5 million; building a "municipal recycled water pipeline" for $10 million; and securing more water rights to Dry Creek to increase our water supply "by as much as 200 million gallons" for a few hundred thousand dollars. (Inbox & Facebook)
3. Healdsburg community activist and artist Robert Gómez passed away in November at the age of 77 while "doing his morning meditation and drinking ginger-green tea at home in Healdsburg," according to his obituary. He was well-known around Sonoma County for taking up causes such as "equal access to education for the Latinx community," which brought meaningful change to local school policy. Robert was a "committed volunteer at the Healdsburg Food Pantry" and, as an art dealer, reportedly represented artists at numerous Healdsburg galleries. From his obit: "Known for his good-nature and grace, Robert never relinquished his fight. Concerned about growing income inequality and housing insecurity in his Healdsburg community, he delivered a speech and ended it with a “loosely paraphrased” quote that he attributed Rumi: 'Oh brother stop! You are running too fast! You are at the edge of a precipice, and you will fall over and die.' He hoped that growth would not outpace support for those facing housing insecurity." (SoCoNews Healdsburg)
4. We also recently lost local couple Robert and Diane Curtis, who died within one week of each other this month. Their joint obituary describes their legacy in town: "Bob started in land surveying in 1953, and in 1964 he co-founded Stephan and Curtis Land Surveyors. Bob continued his career and passion in land surveying until he 'retired' in 2008 from the family business, Curtis and Associates. Noreen spent some time at the Healdsburg Police Department as a dispatcher, and eventually joined Bob at the family business, where she worked until she too retired. Bob and Noreen were active in the Healdsburg community for many years in various service organizations." May they rest in peace. (Legacy.com)
5. There's an "interactive soundstage" coming to the Healdsburg Plaza this month that will "transform Healdsburg’s town center with an immersive and interactive light and sound experience during the long, dark winter nights," according to the Sonoma County Gazette. "The project will illuminate the Plaza Gazebo with more than 800 individual LED lights that change colors and patterns and can respond to sounds." Starting next Wednesday, Feb. 16, it will reportedly be up and running every night through March 7. "Residents and visitors are encouraged to come and interact with the artwork by adding their own sounds to the stage, and the artists will be onsite periodically to demonstrate how the lights respond to recorded music and to encourage participants to dance," the Gazette says. Healdsburg’s oft-repurposed lighted archway is also back in action at the plaza right now as a “Love Tunnel” for Valentine's Day. Passersby are encouraged to answer the question “Where do you send your love?” on a wooden heart and hang it on the arch. (Facebook & Sonoma County Gazette)

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This weekend in Healdsburg:

Friday, February 11

• Spirit Week at Healdsburg Junior High: Heart Day - Wear Red (All Day)
• One Hundred Chapters Vintage Clothing Pop-Up at Shop Tamarind (Feb. 11-12, 12-6PM)
• Hot Dog Friday at Coyote Sonoma, Feat. Live Music From John Chevalier (5:30-8:30PM)
• Corazón Healdsburg Family Bilingual Reading Program: Books and Roots (6PM)
• The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged) at Raven Theater (7:30PM)

Saturday, February 12

• Healdsburg Running Company Jenner Headlands Run (8AM)
• Basketweaving Demonstration From Clint McKay, Dry Creek Pomo/Wappo/Wintun Weaver, at Healdsburg Museum (12-3PM)
• Humane Society Fundraiser: "Smooch a Pooch" at Jeff Cohn Cellars (12-5PM)
• FeBREWary Funfest at Coyote Sonoma, Feat. Music From Max Vogel & the Harvest Band (2-8:30PM)
• Little Monsters Culinary Event at Ketcham Estate: Kids Cook, Parents Paint & Sip (3:30PM)
• Gaea Schell Trio Live at Hotel Healdsburg: "Jazz and Latin Standards With a Tango Twist" (5-8PM)
• The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged) at Raven Theater (7:30PM)

Sunday, February 13

• Matinee: The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged) at Raven Theater (2PM)
• Little Monsters Culinary Valentine's Workshop (4-7PM)
• Free "Second Sunday" Jazz Concert at Saint Paul's Episcopal Church (5PM)

From my notebook:

• In an impressively thorough response to a neighbor on a recent Facebook thread, City Councilmember Ariel Kelley makes the case for residents completely taking out their lawns, given ongoing drought conditions: "It is our existing homes that are using the majority of our water... . This is a tough reality that many of us are not ready to face. But it's the truth. If we take out lawns, we wouldn’t have a supply issue during the summer at all." (Facebook)
• There's a glowing review in Sonoma Magazine of Healdsburg's newest fancy food and drink spot, Lo & Behold, located near the roundabout. The reviewer says it's "an instant Healdsburg icon." She was especially impressed by the chicken tenders. (Sonoma Magazine)
• The Healdsburg Library is also doing a cute thing for kids and teens this Valentine's Day called "mystery date with a book." (Facebook)
• The famous heart-shaped pizza from Mountain Mike's in Windsor is back in time for V-Day. (Healdsburg Patch)
• Or if you're looking for more upscale V-Day options in town, the Bohemian reports that "Hotel Healdsburg, Spoonbar and Harmon Guest House all have romantic specials up their sleeves. The Rooftop, at Harmon Guest House, celebrates throughout the month of February by adding special Valentine-themed delights to its menu. Spoonbar, at h2 hotel, is also adding delicious, festive Valentine-inspired menu items and cocktails from Feb. 9–14. Hotel Healdsburg’s Dry Creek Kitchen is creating a lovers-inspired five-course tasting menu Feb. 11–14." (North Bay Bohemian)
• Here's a sweet local wedding story from Sonoma Mag to get you in the mood: "After Months Apart, a Couple Marries Under the Redwoods in Healdsburg." (Sonoma Magazine)
• Is anyone seeing higher gas bills than usual this winter? PG&E says natural gas prices are around 90 percent higher than last winter. They've got some tips on how Sonoma County residents can try to reduce their bills. (Nextdoor)
• Healdsburg neighbor Pat Crisco tells a heartwarming tale on Nextdoor about a Good Samaritan who showed up on her doorstep with her wallet after she dropped it in the Safeway parking lot. "This wonderful man found my address and promptly brought it back to me at my address," she says. "Nothing missing from the wallet, even though it had my cash allowance tucked inside. Amazing honesty and so very kind. I don’t remember your name, sweet guy. But ... thank you for affirming my trust in humanity." (Nextdoor)
• A couple lost dogs were recently brought into the Healdsburg animal shelter: a "male Belgian Malinois found on Tee Dr. and Greens Dr. in Healdsburg" and a "female hound mix, tricolor with some dappling, found on Healdsburg Ave and Powell Ave." (Nextdoor & Nextdoor)

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Thanks for following along and staying informed! I'll see you back in your inbox next week.

— Simone Wilson

About me: I was born and raised in Healdsburg, CA, where I was the editor of the Healdsburg High School Hound's Bark. I have since worked as a local journalist for publications in San Diego, Los Angeles, New York City and the Middle East. I'm currently a senior product manager for Patch.